Casey Acklin Email & Phone Number

Reno, Nv, Us

Dementia Action Alliance is a non-profit organization that provides hope and help to individuals and families living with dementia and information about how to live proactively with dementia. We offer services and peer supports including three weekly online discussion groups, two monthly podcasts, an online Resources Center, a national Speakers Bureau and other services. All DAA efforts and activities are 100% free and are shaped and informed by individuals living with dementia.

Reno, Nv, Us

Reno, Nv, Us

Reno, Nv, Us

The Dementia Friendly Nevada initiative works to support the empowerment of communities across the state of Nevada in becoming more respectful, educated, supportive, and inclusive of people living with dementia and their family care partners. Utilizing an "authentic partnerships" approach, the initiative connects community members from diverse sectors (including people living with dementia) with active citizenship opportunities. These coalitions of community members work collaboratively to identify and address needs related to improving the wellbeing of people living with dementia and care partners in their community. These grassroots efforts are then strengthened and shared within a statewide network, positioning Dementia Friendly Nevada to effect both local and systemic change.

As a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, I supported the Dementia Friendly Nevada initiative for one year. My duties as Operations Coordinator VISTA included: volunteer recruitment and management, group facilitation, public relations and outreach, events coordination, and website administration.

Bar Harbor, Me, Us

I have worked in three groups at the Jackson Laboratory. Most recently I worked in Dr. Gareth Howell's neurodegenerative disease research group, focusing on studying the molecular genetics of Alzheimer's disease, using immunohistochemistry to characterize the phenotypes Alzheimer's-related genotypes. I also participated in a gene expression study investigation individual cell types at various stages of glaucoma. I was involved in mouse colony management, cryosectioning, antibody staining, microscopy, data analysis, and writing of results. Dr. David Harrison's group is devoted to the study of aging and to uncovering the genetic factors that control senescence. I ran the behavioral testing division of this group, designing and administering behavioral tasks that allow us to evaluate the process of aging as it occurs in each individual mouse. I also conducted physiological and genetic assays to supplement the behavioral information we collected. Lastly, I collected past and present data into coherent narratives that I then wrote into research reports currently in the process of submission to peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Elissa Chesler's group focuses on behavioral genetics but with an eye towards the neurophysiological changes associated with learning and memory deficits, whether from age, substance use, or various genetic variations that affect the brain. In this laboratory I conducted standard behavioral tests to evaluate basic cognitive functioning, then we combined that information with individual mouse genotypes to isolate specific genomic regions that may contribute to cognitive decline. I also conducted confocal microscopy to examine neuronal properties in the hippocampus, studying factors such as dendritic spine density and axon length.

Reno, Nv, Us

Dr. Michael Crognale's lab focuses on the neurobiology of color vision, using electrophysiological tests to measure the cortical correlates of perceived color. I assist in conducting these tests on human subjects and analyzing the vast quantities of data gleaned from such experiments. I also assist in the everyday operations of the Color Vision Assessment Clinic, where individuals undergo a full array of noninvasive tests in order to determine whether they have any alterations from normal color vision.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Us

After completing my study of mouse environmental enrichment at the University of Nevada, I took my work to Drexel University to test the same theory using rats. Working with Dr. Ari Brooks in the Department of Surgery, I designed the ideal enrichment protocol for rats using only natural materials and then tests enriched rats on cognitive tasks. As suspected, the natural materials proved beneficial in boosting cognitive performance even after very short periods of enrichment. This work is currently under review for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Salisbury Cove, Me, Us

Conducting research as part of a course at College of the Atlantic, I and 5 other students assisted researchers at MDI Biological Laboratory in a study focusing on the evolutionary adaptations of small fish to high concentrations of heavy metals at a superfund site in Maine. Using microsatellite analysis we attempted to link populations of the fish over multiple Maine watersheds. We also conducted microarray experiments so as to access the full range of gene expression over each entire fish. The data for this study are still being analyzed.

Reno, Nevada, Us

During high school at The Davidson Academy of Nevada, I began conducting research pertaining to the husbandry conditions of mouse models used in scientific studies. I developed a novel type of environmental enrichment that utilizes natural materials instead of synthetic ones. I then evaluated the effectiveness of this new enrichment protocol using behavioral tests (T-maze test of spatial working memory; open field test of anxiety and exploration) and physiological measures (fecal corticosteroid concentrations; body weight). I found that the natural enrichment significantly enhanced performance in cognitive tasks and reduced stress as indicated by fecal corticosterone. These results are currently under review for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Master Of Arts - Ma, Media Innovation (Journalism)

Certificate, Social Impact Storytelling

Bachelor’S Degree, Human Ecology

Not Degree-Seeking

Not Degree-Seeking

Master Of Arts - Ma, Media Innovation